THE ELECTIONS COORDINATING Committee (ECC), Liberia’s largest domestic election observation network with diverse competencies, experiences and expertise in democracy, election and governance, has condemned pre-campaigning activities by political parties and aspirants ahead of the National Elections Commission’s campaign period outlined in its revised electoral timeline. The ECC has called on the NEC to enforce the rules and regulations related to pre-campaigning activities.
ACCORDING TO THE ECC, NEC’s revised 2023 electoral calendar puts the period for the presidential and legislative campaign to August 5 to October 8, 2023, but their Long Term Observers (LTOs) across the country have reported pre-campaigning activities prior to the campaign period, including the posting of materials designed and/or likely to influence voters.
“PRE-ELECTIONS CAMPAIGN is an offense against the election timeline,” the election body has observed, “it disrupts the level-playing field for other candidates and also brings about provocation because others who observe the rules of elections are not given the opportunity to reach out to their people like the violators. Pre-election campaigning could also lay the foundation for election violence, which the National Elections Commission (NEC) and its democracy stakeholders are doing everything to avoid.
“THE ECC NOTES that in 2017 the [NEC] gave politicians and political parties a one-week ultimatum to remove their banners, bill boards and stickers or face the punishment of being disqualified by the commission from contesting the elections in October 2017.”
ACCORDING TO THE election stakeholder, “The ECC further states that political rallies are allowed under the laws but doesn’t require the wearing of political parties’ T-shirts, emblems, erection of billboards and distribution of stickers with photos.”
THE ECC FURTHER called on the NEC to publish the regulation with respect to pre-campaigning that will outline specific sanction and penalty for political parties and aspirants who are involved with pre-campaigning activities. The election stakeholder also called on all political parties, their leaders, aspirants, and supporters to respect the rule of law and desist from engaging in pre-campaigning activities.